Among its many applications, zinc accelerates wound healing, coats x-ray screens, galvanizes steel to deter rust, and lengthens the life of batteries.
It proves both versatile and essential—much like music does.
Creating with the precision of a chemist, GRAMMY® Award-nominated Gallant combines, co-mingles, and collates sonic elements, inciting a physical, emotional, and spiritual reaction in the process. His recognizable falsetto drips over a musical formulation fortified by glitchy beat-craft, spacey piano, incendiary guitar, and nocturnal rhythms.
With over 1 billion total streams and views, widespread acclaim, and sold out shows in the rearview mirror, he boldly progresses on his third full-length LP and Mom + Pop Music debut, Zinc.
“I was watching Jeopardy, and ‘Zinc.’ was one of the answers,” he recalls. “It was like a scene out of a movie where the camera zooms into the main character’s head, and you see all of these equations everywhere. Zinc. was the one word that could describe everything I was feeling, because it’s a chemical material with healing properties.”
Gallant first introduced an ever-evolving signature style via his 2016 debut, Ology. In addition to spawning the instantly recognizable “Weight In Gold,” the album notably garnered a GRAMMY® nomination in the category of “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” He only continued to push the envelope on Sweet Insomnia [2019], Neptune EP [2021], and the collaborative sneek [2023] with Terrace Martin. He also shined as the rare chameleonic presence equally comfortable on a track with either Dua Lipa and Noah Cyrus or Brandy, Sufjan Stevens, and Seal. Beyond stunning audiences at Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits, he delivered standout performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Later… with Jools Holland, and TODAY, to name a few. Along the way, he garnered acclaim from Interview, The FADER, Complex, coup de main, and Harpers Bazaar who succinctly declared, “He has the voice of a winner.”
Untethered from the major label system and free from expectations, he teamed up with producer Ariza in 2023 and brought Zinc. to life.
“I saw Zinc. as the album I’d make if I had the chance to follow up my first record Ology again,” he admits. “It’s a fresh start without confusion and the pressures of being part of a big machine. When I started writing it, I had no label or large team. I met Ariza, and the process mirrored how I did Ology with Stint. All that mattered was if a song spoke to me and if it reflected all of the weird things that make up who I am as a fan and as a person. I entertained myself and got a lot off my chest. I stuck to my guns and created an unfettered body of work that feels like me.”
He sounds utterly unrestrained on the single “Fly On The Wall. (Osaka Version).” The track’s lithe acoustic guitar washes over hazy keys. His delivery quakes with raw emotion in a moment of clarity, “Excavating every word that I said when I was drunk on false power, who was I to blame for how I’m losing grip?” He exhales on the hook, “Please don’t mind me, I’m a fly on the wall.”
“It came together as an honest and visceral story I’d been trying to write for a long time,” he admits. “It’s focused on the lyrics. The chorus reminded me of saying something I regretted in the heat of the moment during an argument.”
A head-nodding beat and loose bassline pulsate through twinkling keys on “Crimes Of Compassion.” As the momentum picks up, the hypnotic chant transfixes, “Cuz these crimes of compassion leave you looking like you’re lost in a labyrinth”
“I was talking about relationships and how one thing that poisons a particular relationship could come back in the next relationship—whether it’s with a friend, family member, or romantic partner,” he reveals. “I was trying to diagnose the issue and speak to the cyclical nature of it all. Musically, it follows an emotional arc, tracing different touchpoints of a relationship. You have to fix the issue before it manifests again.”
Then, there’s “Centigrade.” featuring Nao. Gallant’s high register floats between the cracks of percussive claps and a gusty synth loop as Nao counters with an emotionally charged response. “It’s about the fallout of an argument,” he elaborates. “When you get into an argument, there’s a period where you’re alone afterwards and you have to think about what started it. I’m fascinated by the idea of the pause when you’re disagreeing with someone you love. It’s an interesting purgatory where you’re wondering if it makes sense to go forward or not.”
Laced with intergalactic infectiousness, the upbeat and energetic “Atoms.” orbits a space-funk guitar riff, blasting off into a wild wailing lead and otherworldly refrain.
“I was channeling the anger of being accused of something you didn’t do and trying to fix a problem that might not be yours to fix,” he says. “It’s like you’re splitting atoms for someone else. I thought of a time where I felt deeply misunderstood and unfairly demonized. Sonically, it has a mid-eighties palette. I’ve been testing it live, and it’s already my favorite to play.”
Zinc. concludes with the alternately delicate and explosive lull of “Lucid.” He wonders, “What’s the point if I only feel alive when I’m lucid dreaming?” Gasping for air, his screams lock into a call-and-response with the guitar.
“It’s most indicative of how this period was for me,” he admits. “I was completely dissociating from reality. I’d sit in a bathtub, drink a ton of beer, and watch hours of an awards show from 1988 or whatever. I wrote the song in this zone. I was struggling with depression. I was almost scared the track was too sad for this, but I’m trying to get the fuck out of whatever hole I was in at the time. There’s an optimistic connotation, because I get the sense something better is yet to come.”
At the most basic level, he’s crafting the music he wanted to hear, and the world needs.
“I made something that felt like Gallant music,” he leaves off. “I’m just a dude who likes taking a bunch of things that don’t necessarily go together and putting them together. I’m very lucky to be in a position where I’ll meet someone who listens to my music and we connect; it’s like we went to the same high school. I create the kind of music I wish existed and I could hear as a fan.”
